Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: Next Gen
by Next Gen Productions
Summary: 20 years after Jaden Yuki's incredible adventures, all seems well at duel academy, but now, forces of light are approaching. Their mission, to eliminate the Darkness and recreate the world in their own "pure" image. Watch, as the story of a new generation at Duel Academy begins!
1. Welcome (back) to Duel Academy!

_**Three Thousand years ago in Ancient Egypt, games were held to predict the future of men and kings; ritualistic duels fought with monsters and magic. These rituals were known as the Shadow Games. But these Shadow Games threatened to engulf the world in chaos and destruction. Therefore, the mystical items that enforced the Shadow Games were sealed away forever, never to be seen again, until one fateful day a man uncovered one of these items. Not long after, the legacy of the Shadow Games reemerged in the form of a popular game of the modern era.**_

_**Duel Monsters. A card battle game created by child-at-heart, fun-loving genius Maximillion Pegasus. It began as a simple children's game, but it has since evolved so far beyond its humble roots; the cards and rules becoming far more advanced, far more refined, and with the Duel Disk system created by Kaiba Corporation, the monsters and magic were brought to life, turning Duel Monsters into far more than a simple game; it had become a way of life.**_

_**Over thirty years ago, a second, isolated war of the Shadow Games erupted; a war that resulted in the destruction of both the Millennium Items, and an end to the Shadow Games. However, the phenomenon known as Duel Monsters that they had spawned did nothing but thrive, to the point that Seto Kaiba, young genius and CEO of the Kaiba Corporation, founded the prestigious Duel Academy, a school where aspiring duelists were trained to become the champions of tomorrow.**_

_**An academy that an enthusiastic boy by the name of Jaden Yuki attended, in which he fought against both the Light of Destruction, and the darkness of the sinister Nightshroud, and emerged triumphant. He even triumphed over the might of the legendary Sacred Beasts, and the dark ones that sought them. By graduation, Jaden's skills ascended even beyond those of Yugi Muto, the King of Games himself, becoming a modern legend.**_

_**Today is the beginning of a new era. Today, twenty years after Jaden Yuki's incredible adventures, the story of the newest dueling champions is about to begin...**_

* * *

"Attention all students! We are now approaching Academy Island! Repeat; we are now approaching Academy Island!"

As these words blared across the cruise ship's intercom, hundreds of young teens gazed off into the distance as the prestigious Duel Academy came into focus. The high cliffs overlooking the island, the lush green forest surrounding the immense silver structures that made up the Academy's main campuses, and even the enormous volcano with a massive column of smoke billowing from its crater all seemed to welcome the new first year students to their new homes away from home.

"We are now docking. Please leave all luggage on the vessel and prepare to disembark!"

"Ya'll herd the man! Front and center on the double!" A gruff, regimented voice barked to all the students, who gathered their carry-on belongings and hurried down the gangplank to line up at the harbor. Everyone lined up in straight rows as tall man with dark tanned skin, an incredibly muscular physique paced back and forth across the docks. He wore a necklace lined with several fangs and a small skull in its center, accompanied by military dog tags, fanged earrings, a yellow dinosaur-like bandana over his black, dreadlocked hair, and a yellow jacket, the sleeves of which seem to have been torn off very roughly by hand.

"Somehow I get the feeling we're not in for a fun time this year." One of the students muttered to his friend, who nodded in agreement.

"Quiet down and listen up, ya maggots!" The muscular man called over the chatter, which silenced immediately. "I'm Gunnery Sergeant Tyranno Hassleberry, head of Ra Yellow. And until you're given the pride of wearing your Academy uniforms, ya'll fall under my regiment, and the first and last words I hear outta ya better be 'sir!' d'ya'll understand?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" The first years recited.

"Sam Hell! Sound off like you give a damn!"

"SIR YES SIR!"

"Not bad, not bad. You might make decent soldiers yet." Hassleberry smirked. "Now, onward!" He marched down the docks with his fists together behind his back, the first years following after. They passed by a warehouse as the Sergeant marched onto a bridge passing over the ocean, linking the harbor with the mainland.

"Keep up, ladies!" He called over his shoulder, a noticeable distance soon being placed between him and the following first years. As they began to catch up with Hassleberry's brisk march, the bridge turned into dirt road, and a short, aged two-story building with a red roof could be seen at the Cliffside. A few students could be heard muttering sneering comments about people living there, laughing in undertone; something that the Gunnery Sergeant seemed rather irritable about.

The tiring walk pressed on even further, and as the main campus drew closer, the dirt road turned into pavement as the students passed a handsome yellow lodge, some seemed eager to stop by and rest at before continuing, though clearly Hassleberry had other plans, as he carried on, leading his pack through a lush, wooded path, which came to two branching paths; one, a dirt road heading towards what seemed to be a blue and white castle, and the other to the magnificent main campus building, a gigantic silver structure with several colored domed roofs and surrounding by many pointed golden columns.

They entered the main campus, passing a number of marble tablets with famous duel monsters carved upon them. Once inside, Hassleberry finally came to a stop in front of a large entranceway, and ordered,

"Company, halt!" The students followed their command, and they were soon met by another figure, this one a very pleasant-looking woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and charming blue eyes, dressed in a white coat with deep blue trimming, her very well-endowed figure clearly visible through her pink dress.

"Right this way." She gestured, pushing the doors open, leading the students into an immense auditorium, where everyone took a much needed sit in the ascending rows of seats looking down on a stage, where Hassleberry accompanied the rest of the staff, arms still behind his back as he stood between two people who seemed to be the other heads of dorm.

A bald man in a dark red coat stepped across the stage, standing at the front to speak to the first year students, his face magnified in the screen behind him.

"Good morning, First Year students, and welcome to Duel Academy! I'm Chancellor Sheppard, the headmaster of this school, and you are the greatest duelists of tomorrow, no matter your rank." At these last words, some of the students jeered, while others wondered what on earth the Chancellor meant by 'rank.'

"Before you can settle into your new dormitories, there are some very important rules that you must follow, if you wish to remain at Duel Academy." Sheppard continued. "First, all students must be in their assigned dorms at 9:00pm, no exceptions. Second, you are each forbidden from entering another dormitory other than your assigned one, unless you're given permission form said head of dorm." The four people directly behind Sheppard gave a curt nod at these words.

"Additionally, our Campus Security Captain, Malvado," Sheppard gestured to a threatening, stoic figure in a corner of the room clutching a katana and wearing a long black trench coat, and a dark scowl. "Has kindly reminded me to inform you that the basement levels of the library are strictly forbidden to both students and staff alike."

To these words, a murmur broke out among the students, and even the members of staff. Apparently, this area hadn't been restricted before this year.

"Now then!" Sheppard spoke up, sounding more cheerful and lenient. "We will now display your official ranks." The massive screen in the back of the stage changed from a magnified image of the Chancellor to two long columns; one displaying the names of each one of the first year students, the other listing both the written and practical scores of said students' entrance exams.

"Ladies, follow me!" The blonde woman prompted, leading all the female students out of the room.

"Those of you who scored 96 or higher, right this way." A strict figure with glaring yellow eyes, singed black hair, and a long blue coat with a golden dragonhead-like crest ordered sharply, several sneering boys leaving the room now.

"All ya'll between 95 and 70, front and center on the pronto!" Hassleberry rallied, leaving only a few mostly nervous boys left in their seats.

"Everyone else, you're with me." said a very deep, booming, African-accented voice, and a tremendous man with dark skin, a smooth, hairless head, and hulking stature, standing at almost eight feet, stepped forward, intimidating all the remaining students. He gave them a reassuring smile as he led them out of the auditorium and down the hallways.

Though, the further they traveled, the more some got lost in the amazing features of the Academy, some lagging far behind their head of dorm, and one black-haired boy even falling out of the group entirely on accident.

"That's pretty incredible." He marveled at a gigantic portrait labeled 'Kaiser,' featuring a man with long, dark blue-green hair, a giant, mechanical three-headed dragon behind him. "Uh?" He blinked, realizing that some of the others admiring the painting were gone. "Hey, guys! Kazu? Where'd you go?" He underestimated how big the Academy was in his group.

"Where'd they go?" The boy asked himself, wondering how the rest could move so far in such a short time. "Geez, you'd think you couldn't miss a giant guy who has to stoop over to pass through doorways." He hurried to the end of the hall in the direction the group was headed, but only ran into more corridors, confusing him endlessly. Finally, he took a chance and stepped through a nearby door... and became extremely regretful of doing so.

The first thing he saw in the room was a girl with short blue hair and magnificent green eyes dressed only in her underwear. Then, he freaked as he realized that there were several other girls, who he came to realize were some of the other first years, who were also in varying dressed states, almost all of which screamed at the sight of the 'peeping tom.'

"GET OUT!" the blue-haired girl yelled furiously, throwing one of her shoes, which hit him right in the face. He bolted outside just as a hail fire of thrown objects was pelted his way.

* * *

"Hm? Where's Kenta?" The lost boy's cousin wondered to himself as their head of dorm was about to discuss their uniform requirements.

"Is there something wrong, Kazu Kijo?" The giant African man asked, the boy, Kazu, who trembled slightly, feeling slightly threatened.

"Uh, it's my cousin, Kenta." He answered nervously. "He seems to be... ah, not here..."

"I see. Please be patient for a few more minutes, boys. I'll be back in a moment." The head of dorm responded, bowing his head as he passed through the door, Kazu worried about how he would reprimand Kenta.

* * *

"Excuse me, are you Kenta Kiyoma?" Kenta turned at the mention of his name, immediately flinching at the sight of his intimidating head of dorm.

"I-I am..." He swallowed.

"Right this way."

"Um... I'm really sorry about..." Kenta broke off in midsentence, knowing how pointless it was to apologize. To his surprise, however, his teacher was smiling at him.

"Don't worry about a thing. I know how easy it can be to get lost in these parts. Especially when you're a first year student." He chuckled.

_"Did he just... smile at me?" _Kenta blinked, never expecting such pleasant behavior from someone who looked so frightening.

* * *

"Alright, now that everyone is here," The head of dorm stated, once again bowing his head as he passed through the door to meet up with the rest of his group. "My name is Enbu Mombasa, and every one of you is now a proud member of the Slifer Red dorm. Though you might be considered the lowest rank, the weakest duelists, I know better, much better, than that; while you may not have exhibited the same prowess that many others have, that is the reason why you are here at Duel Academy, to prove that you are indeed better than those condescending figures in Obelisk Blue." A short round of applause followed this brief speech.

"Moving on, it's time to discuss your uniforms." Mombasa continued. "While the shirt and slacks that come with your uniform are not required, the shoes and jacket are. You are to wear a solid-colored shirt with school-appropriate long pants at all times during class times, and we kindly ask that you not..."

"Kenta, cut it out!" Kazu whispered, his cousin already wearing his red jacket and putting on his shoes.

"Excuse me, but I believe this is the second time that you've held me up, Mr. Kiyoma." Mombasa spoke up firmly.

"Crap..." Kenta swallowed, looking up in terror.

"Well, I suppose you get the idea, so I suppose I can skip the lecture." Mombasa chuckled casually, Kenta sighing with relief, knowing he just dodged a bullet. "Lastly, you all received a PDA upon passing your entrance examinations, correct?" A general note of confirmation sounded around the reds.

"If you have lost your Personal Duel Advocate, please speak to me at any time, and I can arrange a replacement." Mombasa continued. "Before 9:00 tonight, you are to fill out your student information, so that your registration into the Academy Network can be simplified. This device can also assist you in many other fashions with arranging your deck, keeping track of your dueling records, and various other functions, but you can figure those out at a later time. Finally, are there any questions?" A brief silence was all the answer he needed. "No? Very well, then. Be at the Slifer Red dorm's dining hall at 9 o' clock for orientation dinner. Until then, you are all dismissed."

* * *

As hundreds of new students piled out of the main Academy building, headed for their dorms, one, a somewhat short boy in a cap and oversized slifer red uniform jacket, slipped out of the crowd, panting as he rested on the bench of one of the marble tablets in the entrance way.

"Of course, I wound up in Slifer Red..." He sighed, relieved as the worst of the crowd began to thin out, leaving very few remaining in the entrance way. "Just like me to wind up..."

"Zack, there you are!" A girl with long blond hair and sapphire blue eyes called cheerily, sneaking up behind the Slifer and pulling off his hat, exposing his shaggy two-toned blonde hair.

"A-Alice!?" Zack jumped, his blue eyes grew wide, startled by his childhood friend's surprise appearance.

"Hey, Zack. How's it going?" Alice smiled, Zack simply shaking his head and sighing. "What's wrong?"

"It's just that...I can't do this, going to Duel Academy, that is. It's just too much pressure." Zack sighed.

"Oh, please! You're the son of the King of Games; you're Zack Yuki! I'm sure you'll be fine." Alice said in an attempt to cheer Zack up, giving him a very hard slap on the back.

"See? That's what I'm talking about." Zack groaned, winded from Alice's over eccentric encouragement. "How can anyone expect me to live with that? I even applied to this school under the last name Rhodes." He leaned back against the tablet. "You don't know what it's like living in the shadow of the King of Games."

"Zack," Alice said putting her hand around the Yuki boy's shoulder. "You don't have to be in your father's shadow; just be yourself. I'm sure you'll do great if you do." Zack's eyes widened as he felt Alice kiss him on his cheek, causing him to turn redder than his father's signature red jacket.

"Uh, thanks Alice, but uh, I'm gonna go find my dorm." Zack blurted getting up clumsily as he hurried towards the Red dorm, leaving a confused Alice.

"That boy is so weird." She giggled.

* * *

"This is the Slifer Dorm?" Zack gazed upon the tiny, run-down old building. "I thought uncle Syrus was kidding when he said this was an overgrown outhouse." he sighed before going up the stairs, consulting his PDA to find his room. "Here it is." He opened the door and his jaw dropped as he saw the floor completely cluttered, many more things being tossed this way and that, his roommates stopping the ransacking of their trunks, and turning to look at the shocked boy in the doorway.

"Oh, uh, you must be our roommate." One of them said, the awkwardness in his voice apparent. "I'm -uh...Kenta."

"That's right; you were the one who got lost earlier, weren't you?" Zack nodded.

"Uh... yeah." Kenta muttered, still remembering walking in on the girls.

"And um...I'm Kazu." His cousin spoke up. "Sorry for the mess, by the way; Kenta here kinda lost his deck."

"Um, okay. I'm...Zack." Not knowing how to respond to his new roommates, Zack stepped inside the room, taking care not to tread on any of their things as Kazu and Kenta continued to rummage through their stuff.

"Uh, Kenta?"

"What is it?" Kenta sighed.

"Did you check the holster you wear on your belt?" Kazu asked annoyed, Kenta's eyes widening, slapping a hand to his side.

"Um...no." He replied awkwardly.

"You're an idiot." Kazu rolled his eyes.

"Your family members are idiots!" Kenta retorted.

"We're cousins, you numb nuts!" Kazu shot back with an annoyance.

"And I'm pretty sure I'm the one who would have gotten Ra Yellow if the other didn't snore like a freight train!"

"I do not!"

Zack simply shrugged as he pushed some of Kenta's discarded belongings aside to make room for his own things, and as he took off his cap, putting it into his knapsack, the bickering cousins turned to look at him, finding his hair, albeit longer and slumping, almost identical to a certain someone's.

"Hey, you're Jaden Yuki's son, aren't you?!" Kenta spoke up.

"Uh..." Zack stammered, putting his hat back on, and trying to come up with an excuse, when suddenly, an excuse found him;

"Hello, roommates!" all three Slifers turned to face another boy, with short brown hair and brown eyes, who had burst through the door. He wore a black t-shirt, pants, and a silver pendant with a dragon insignia. "I'm Rakaia Meiyo!"

"As if this room wasn't cramped already." Zack sighed. "This is going to be a lot harder than I thought."

"What is?" Rakaia asked.

"Who's getting which bed?" Zack said, pointing out the triple bunk bed and a single bed with a seemingly very uncomfortable mattress.

"I know, let's duel!" Kenta said.

"Or we could have a race." Kazu proposed.

"I like that idea." Rakaia agreed.

"Sure why not." Zack shrugged.

"Okay a race it is!" Kenta said.

"What are the rules?" Rakaia asked.

"One lap around the Academy, first come, first serve." Kazu answered, the other three Slifers nodded in approval.

"Okay on three then." Zack said. "One...two...GO!" the son of the dueling champion bolted out the room and hoped over the railing, landing cleanly on the ground below.

"That cheap son of a-!" Rakaia was cut off mid-sentence when Kazu and Kenta pushed him out of the way, chasing after Zack. Rakaia scanned the room and mused for a moment, before smirking deviously.

"Those fools." He cackled evilly, replacing the nasty mattress on the single with one of the nice ones in the bunk bed, and plopping comfortably onto the single bed he laid claim to.

* * *

"Ha ha, what chumps." Zack laughed as he gained distance between him and his roommates. He just had to run a little while longer until he could slow down to catch his breath. Zack's thoughts all came to a halt when he bumped into someone, causing him to fall backwards. "Sorry! Didn't see you there."

"Well if it isn't Zack Rhodes," the teen said. The teen had spiky green hair which flowed to the right of his head dull grey eyes, and wore a first year Obelisk Blue uniform. He grabbed Zack's hat and yanked it off, revealing his two-toned blond hair. "Or should I say, Zack _Yuki_."

"What do you want?" Zack asked in a dull tone.

"I'm Sasunoke Arashigami," the teen said confidently, as if his name actually meant something to Prince of Games. "I saw you duel at the entrance exams, and I fail to see how you're really the son of THE King of Games. If you didn't summon that fusion monster by pure fluke, we wouldn't even be having this talk."

"Do you have a point here?" Zack asked, taking his hat back and stuffing his hair under it.

"Calm down Slacker, you didn't even let me finish." Sasunoke said in a mock innocent tone. "Now then... I know better than most other Obelisks in this Academy; The whole point of this stupid ranking system is just to show us how pointless it is."

"Care to run that by me one more time?" Zack raised an eyebrow.

"I'm saying that the color blazer you wear doesn't make you a better or worse duelist." Sanousuke clarified. "I know this for a fact. And I also know for a fact that being clumped among the many other drop-outs in red doesn't make you a weakling like them."

"Is this because of me being Jaden Yuki's son?" Zack rolled his eyes.

"Partially." Sanousuke nodded, before circling Zack in a condescending manner. "But also because just a quick look at your deck," He snatched Zack's deck from his pocket, quickly scanning the strong cards he owned. "can tell me that you're hardly a pushover. Son of Jaden or not, you've got serious skills. Enough skill to dominate the entire school..."

"Get back here Zack, you cheater!" Kenta shouted, Kazu hot on his tail.

"Friends of yours?" Sanousuke raised an eyebrow at the cousins.

"Dorm mates." Zack nodded.

"Hey, Zack." Kazu panted as he and Kenta began to grind to a halt, eyeing Sanousuke. "Friend of yours?"

"Something like that." The Obelisk sneered at Kenta. "Kenta Kiyoma. You came dead last in the entrance exam. You didn't happen to get any special treatment to get in, did you?"

"What was that?!" Kenta snapped, ready to lash out at the Obelisk. "Care to say that to my face, you egotistical son of a...!"

"And Kazu Kijo, not two notches above him." Sanousuke continued, turning his deigning gaze over to the other cousin. "Did you give your edge to your cousin? Or does mediocrity just run in the family."

"And what gives YOU any right to judge?!" Kazu demanded.

"Because I'm second highest on the 1st year leader board; Sanousuke Arashigami. And you'd do best to remember that!"

"Second best, huh?" Kenta sneered. "So who's number one? Why don't you go annoy him instead?"

"Her." Sanousuke corrected. "And why don't you show me that your dueling skills mean something? I might just change my opinion of you. Otherwise, back off and let the real duelists have their talk."

"What's that supposed to mean? 'Real Duelists?'" Kazu demanded.

"You don't want to be stuck with the wrong crowd, would you, 'Rhodes?'" Sanousuke ignored the cousins, returning his attention to Zack.

"What happened to the ranking system being meaningless?" Zack shot back, indignant with the insult to his friends.

"Don't get me wrong; I'm not judging them by their blazers, or even judging them at all." Sanousuke clarified. "I KNOW for a fact how pitiful duelists they are."

"Give me a duel disk, and you'll see how wrong you are!" Kenta growled.

"You're not the ones I'm interested in." Sanousuke brushed him off again. "You'll find that some duelists are just... inferior to others, 'Rhodes,' and you don't want to be making friends with the wrong sort." He cast another condescending look at the cousins. "I can help you with that, and make you into the King of Games you're aspiring to become." He offered a hand to Zack, who glanced hesitantly over to his friends, who flinched with terror as he reached his own hand out.

"Sorry." Zack glared, batting Sanousuke's hand away. "But I think I can tell who the 'wrong sort' are by myself."

"You just made a big mistake, Yuki." Sanousuke growled lividly.

"I'm not the one acting all high and mighty." Zack retorted.

"Duel me!" Sanousuke barked, pulling out an academy-issued Duel Disk, white with blue trimming to signify his place in Obelisk Blue. "I'm going to show you firsthand how a real duelist plays."

"Can't this wait for another time?" Zack asked, knowing the orientation dinner was just hours away.

"Either you duel me right here, right now, or I'll reveal to everyone that you're Jaden's son." Sasunoke smirked as Zack gritted his teeth, who knew he had just been backed into a corner.

"It's true, then?" Kenta blinked, his suspicions confirmed.

"That is so cool." Kazu smiled.

"Are you really trying to blackmail me?" Zack sighed.

"If that's what it takes to see how you duel,." Sanousuke stated.

"Fine then." Zack conceded. Kazu handed him his red duel disk, and both Zack and Sanousuke put some distance between each other, the Academy building's entrance way acting as their arena.

"DUEL!"

Sanousuke: 4000

**Zack: 4000**

"Kick his ass, Zack!" Kenta cheered from the sidelines, Zack grinning weakly at him before looking down at his opening hand after taking the first draw of the duel. Clearly, he lacked his father's luck; when he was younger, they would take turns drawing their opening hands, and Jaden usually got every single card he wanted. Zack, however, only found his opening hand at the moment to be a mess.

"I'll start off by summoning Elemental Hero Stratos in Attack mode!" He declared, a flurry of wind blowing around the arena as a blue hero with a fan-powered flight pack soared to life before him, crossing his arms in a heroic pose as he hovered in front of his summoner.

Elemental Hero Stratos  
Level 4 Wind  
Warrior/Effect  
ATK: 1800

"And because of his effect, I can add another Elemental Hero from my deck to my hand." Zack scanned his deck before uncertainly adding a monster to his hand. "And I'll end my turn by setting three face-downs."

"Not too bad for a first turn." Kazu mused. "He has a pretty strong defense set up. I'd like to see Sanousuke try to bust through it.

**Sanousuke: 4000**

Zack:4000

"You want to see me tear a hole in his defenses?" Sanousuke sneered. "You got it. I summon Aven Page to the field in Attack mode, and set one face-down card!" Another gust of wind as a humanoid bird shimmered onto the field, its wings spread wide with determination, a lance in hand.

Aven Page  
Level 3 Wind  
Winged-Beast/Effect  
ATK: 500

"You're joking, right?" Kenta was tempted to laugh. "Something with that few attack points is supposed to break a defense like Zack's?"

"You Slifers are forgetting that almost all monsters have special abilities that render things like attack and defense points meaningless." Sanousuke smirked. "And Aven Page's effect can now activate; when I declare an attack, and my target is a Wind-Attribute monster, I can attack you directly!"

"What?!" Kenta, Kazu, and Zack all gasped simultaneously as the winged beast flapped its wings, soaring agilely past Stratos.

"And that's not all; since Stratos and both occupied spell/trap card zones are adjacent to Aven Page's, his attack points are also doubled!"

Aven Page ATK: 500 = 1000

Zack cried out as the page's lance struck him head-on.

Zack: 4000 = 3000

"I'll set another face down and end my turn." Sanousuke concluded, giving Zack a sneering look. "Your move."

Sanousuke: 4000

**Zack: 3000**

"Come on, give me something I can use...!" Zack muttered to his deck as he drew his next card. He looked hopefully at it, and grinned as he saw his opportunity. "Perfect. I activate Super Polymerization! And by discarding one card from my hand, I can fuse Elemental Hero Stratos with your Aven Page, to summon Elemental Hero Great Tornado!" The Aven was sucked into a vortex along with Stratos, the two wind monsters merging together.

"A fusion with the opponent's monster?" Kazu blinked.

Though simple gusts preceded the summon of the last two wind monsters, a full-on storm ensued the summon of Zack's fusion monster, both duelists trying to keep their footing as a tall, masked figure in a billowing cloak descended to Zack's field.

Elemental Hero Great Tornado  
Level 8 Wind  
Warrior/Fusion/Effect  
ATK: 2800

_"Damn! One of those face-downs was Chthonian Polymer!" _Sanousuke gritted his teeth. _"At the expense of Aven Page, I could have taken control of that fusion monster, but he used my only means of using it against me!" _He smirked. _"He really IS the son of the King of Games."_

"And since you have no monsters left on your field, I can attack you directly! Great Tornado! _Super Cell_!" Great Tornado raised both hands high, the entire field being engulfed in an immense tornado.

"Don't think I'm going down that easy!" Sanousuke cut in, a trap card activating. "Ring of Destruction! I destroy your Great Tornado, and we both take damage equal to its attack points." The air suddenly became still as Great Tornado struggled to pull a steel collar with many red flashing lights from its neck, but to no avail; the collar detonated, destroying the fusion monster and dealing powerful damage to both players.

Sanousuke: 4000=1200

Zack: 3000=200

"Oh, damn! Zack's just hanging on by a thread now!" Kazu exclaimed.

"I activate the spell A Hero Lives; by sacrificing half my Life Points, I can special summon an Elemental Hero to my field, if my field is empty." Zack stated. "So, I summon Elemental Hero Lady Heat." A flaming portal opened in the ground, and a feminine figure in white and red tights sprung out from within, landing before Zack.

Elemental Hero Lady Heat  
Level 4 Fire  
Pyro/Effect  
ATK: 1300

Zack: 200=100

"Next, I activate Call of the Haunted, which allows me to special summon Stratos back to my field, and since all these summons, including Great Tornado's fusion summon, have only been special summons, I still have one normal summon remaining; so I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in Defense mode." A large stone golem came to life on his field, kneeling and crossing its arms into a defensive stance.

Elemental Hero Clayman  
Level 4 Earth  
Warrior/Effect  
DEF: 2000

_"He's trying to set up as many monsters as he can to defend himself." _Sanousuke smirked. _"Didn't he realize that won't work?"_

"I end my turn." Zack concluded. _"I just hope this works..." _He swallowed nervously.

**Sanousuke: 1200**

Zack: 100

"Perfect." Sanousuke grinned darkly as he drew his next card. "I activate monster reborn to call Aven Page back to my field, and sacrifice him to summon Gryphon Battlemaster!" A heavy storm much like that of Great Tornado's brewed as a gigantic monster landed firmly before Sanousuke, with massive eagle-like wings, head, and talons for hands, which gripped the handle of a massive, heavy sword. Its legs strongly resembled those of a lion, with a long tail to match.

Gryphon Battlemaster  
Level 8 Wind  
Winged-Beast/Effect  
ATK: 3000

"Level 8?" Kazu interjected. "But level 8's require two sacrifices, not one!"

"Gryphon Battlemaster allows me to summon him using only one, as long as it's a Wind Attribute Winged-Beast." Sanousuke corrected. "Plus, all spell and trap cards on the field are destroyed. The only downside is that I can't attack this turn, but that doesn't really matter; this game's over, no matter what you do, so I'll set one face-down, and end my turn."

Sanousuke: 1200

**Zack: 100**

_"He's right..." _Zack thought hopelessly as he took his opening draw. _"It is over. That effect destroyed Call of the Haunted, as well as Stratos, I only have 100 life points left, and right now, that Gryphon Battlemaster is unstoppable. Wait a second...!" _He grinned, realizing a small window of hope. "Because of the effect of Lady Heat, you take 200 points of damage for every E-Hero on my field!" Lady Heat formed a swirling flame in her hands, which she threw at Sanousuke.

Sanousuke: 1200 = 800

"You're going to chip off every life point you can, aren't you?" Sanousuke mocked.

"Yes, I am." Zack stated, a determined look on his face. "I'm NOT the champion my father is, nor the one you think I am, but you were right when you said that this game ends this turn. I activate Polymerization, and merge Elemental Heroes Clayman, Lady Heat, and the Woodsman in my hand to summon Elemental Hero Burning Earth!"

Clayman grew larger and larger, cracks forming across its hardened stone body from which hot magma glowed, the clay soldier transformed into a golem of volcanic rock and fire.

Elemental Hero Burning Earth  
Level 6 Earth  
Warrior/Fusion/Effect  
ATK: 2200

"I'll give you credit for the flashy entrance, but you chose the wrong monster to fusion summon." sneered Sanousuke. "Were you actually looking to turn this duel around?"

"What's he talking about?" Kenta blinked. "Isn't it obvious Zack plans to power up Burning Earth's attack points?"

Of course, but it won't do him any good." Kenta clarified. "I saw this guy at the entrance exams; Gryphon Battlemaster can't be chosen as an attack target by Earth Attribute monsters; it won't matter how high Burning Earth's Attack points are, because it essentially has nothing to attack."

"Then I set two cards face down and end my turn." Zack concluded. "Your move."

**Sanousuke: 800**

Zack: 100

"Gryphon Battlemaster, Finish him off! _Legendary Strike of the Eagle!" _The Gryphon flapped its massive wings, lifting itself in the air, before diving with its sword raised high right on top of Burning Earth. "It's game over!" However, the battle's outcome was not at all what Sanousuke thought it to be; just as the blade of the Battlemaster was supposed to tear Burning Earth in two, the fiery golem caught the talon-like arm of Sanousuke's monster, blocking the attack completely. "What?!"

"It's Burning Earth's special effect," Zack explained. "If it were to be destroyed by a monster with higher attack points and level, the battle is negated, and you take damage equal to the battle damage I would have taken. Elemental Hero Burning Earth, end this duel! _Fiery Tremor!_ "

The ground beneath Burning Earth and Gryphon Battlemaster shook as flames erupted around them, incinerating the Gryphon and bringing the duel to a conclusion.

Sanousuke: 800 = 0000

**Winner: Zack**

"I was right about you, Yuki." Sanousuke smirked as the holographic creatures vanished. "Don't think this is over; I will stop at nothing to be the best there ever was. And make no mistake; we will duel again. Very soon." He gathered up his cards before turning his back on the Slifers, heading back towards the Obelisk Dorm.

"Man Zack, that was some sweet card playing!" Kazu said.

"Thanks, I guess." Zack shrugged.

"Hey man, you don't have to worry, we won't tell anyone about you being Jaden's son." Kenta gave Zack a reassuring smile.

"Really?" Zack blinked at his two roommates, who nodded. "Thanks guys, this means a lot to me."

"Don't mention it." Kenta smiled. "It's cool to have you bunk with us; not because you're Jaden's son, but because you're just awesome without connections like that."

"Yeah. Stuff like that means nothing to..." Kazu started, only to break off as he noticed Zack missing. "Hey, where'd he...?"

"See you suckers later!" Zack's voice could be heard in the distance.

"That little cheater!" Kenta sighed. "I can't believe he pulled that crap again! Hey, where's Rakaia?"

"He must've given up, knowing that we already had such a big head start." Kazu shrugged.

* * *

_1 Hour Later..._

"Alright!" Zack called triumphantly, bursting into the dorm. "Looks like I get the-" His jaw dropped as he looked into his room, completely shocked by what he saw. Moments later, Kazu and Kenta arrived right behind him, each one with the same expressions of disbelief.

"Hey guys." Rakaia waved, resting comfortably on the single, all his things on or around it. "You know, you never really set up a course, the only rule was first come first serve." he chuckled. "You should really be clear next time."

"Un...freaking... believable." Kazu sighed, still feeling like a complete idiot for not coming up with the same plan as Rakaia.

"Don't take it too hard, the Dragon Duelist just can't lose." Rakaia laughed.

**To be continued...**

* * *

_**Hello, ladies and gentlemen of the Dueling community. A new year at Duel Academy has begun, and I'm going to make sure that I'm on top of the competition, both in the years to come, and in the events of the as yet unknown "V2."**_ _**In this day and age, information can be one's greatest weapon, and I have every intention of ensuring my victory on all fronts. So, I've taken the liberty of evaluating everything within the bounds of this Academy, from the students, to the staff, to the very foundations of this school, in search of anything that gives me an advantage.**_

_**I'm Dex Saburo, and these are just a few records that I've collected about Duel Academy...**_

**Duel Academy Undercover Archives  
Entry #1: Duel Academy**

**_By:_**  
**_Dex Saburo_**

_**Let's begin by taking a look at the institution that everyone knows, but may not know everything about; Duel Academy.**_

_**This academy was founded by the current CEO of Kaiba Corporation, Seto Kaiba, following the events of the original Battle City Tournament. Amazed by the sheer mass of duelists that attended both the original tournament, and the ones to follow, Kaiba realized that the holographic augmentation and Duel Disk technology he had personally developed were just the beginning. **_

_**With the foundation of Duel Academy, the dueling community is now stronger and far more prominent than ever before, overshadowing even many professional sports. Several other dueling academies had even been founded in the years that followed the original Duel Academy's.**_

_**But back on the topic of the original Duel Academy, known as "Central Academy" by some. The students of this institution are paired off into one of three different houses, ranked by their overall dueling skills and progression, each one named after and representing one of the three Legendary Egyptian Gods.**_

_**To start off, we have Slifer Red, the lowest ranking dorm. This goes to the weakest duelists, who scored mediocre at best on their entrance exams. Led by towering dorm head Enbu Mombasa, Slifer Red students are usually less than successful duelists, most of which being placed in this dorm because of weak decks and/or strategies. However, some of the most exceptional duelists I've seen so far; Kenta Kiyoma, Kazu Kijo, Rakaia Meiyo, and Zack "Rhodes" Yuki, are ironically Slifers. As of now, their skills and their placement in the Academy hardly add up. I hope to shed some light on this confusion in future entries.**_

_**The next dorm up is Ra Yellow, a dorm in which many of the strongest duelists in the academy, myself included, reside. While this is only the second highest rank, it's also the highest a normal student can achieve starting their first year. Gunnery Sergeant Tyranno Hassleberry is the lead of this dorm, and strongly enforces teamwork and strong bravado among his students, many of whom he seems to have started a club of sorts with. I look forward to getting a full evaluation of him soon.**_

_**Lastly, we have the highest dorm, housing the best, and the elite; Obelisk Blue. The only way to gain access to this prestigious dorm in one's first year is to have earned a diploma from a dueling prep school prior to enrollment in Duel Academy, as well as at least near perfect grades in their entrance exams. This is the only dorm to have multiple uniforms, each one representing what year each student is in; All first year students' uniforms are simply a blue variation of the typical Duel Academy blazer, second years are given long-tailed coats, that originally served as the underclassman's uniform in Duel Academy's earlier years, and finally third year students are given a white long coat with blue trimming, maintaining their original role as senior uniforms. Some of these uniforms are also custom ordered by students, and come in a few variations, the most commonly seen being the tailcoat-style variant. Obelisk Blue also the only rank to have a girl's dorm as well. Another matter that I feel requires further investigation.**_

_**The male's dorm is led by Jerec, an as yet undefeated professional duelist whose personality is as no-nonsense and vicious as the dragons in his deck. He considers all weaker than Obelisk Blue to be inferior, and constantly demands the upmost respect. Under no circumstances should his classes be disrupted, especially when the disrupter isn't in Obelisk.**_

_**For the female's dorm, the head is Clair, a far gentler staff member than Jerec. There's little to speak of her, beyond being an orderly, respectable teacher, who also teaches the school's P.E. class, and as such, is a spry, athletic woman. However, I can't help but feel incredibly suspicious of her, as though she has plenty to hide from everyone.**_

_**Moving onto the layout of the school grounds themselves, Duel Academy has expanded across the island since its original founding, a full-blown city formed on campus. A shopping district, an entertainment district, DA campus has the makings of a metropolis, despite the island still remaining predominantly forest. **_

_**Though many question the presence of the tremendous volcano, dubbed Mount Horakhty, believing it to be a potential threat to the island, I understand differently; upon a simple logical evaluation, I believe Mt. Horakhty to be a source of thermal energy, used to power the entire academy; the smaller power station nearby the Slifer Red dorm is an independent power source, possibly intended to power an abandoned laboratory, which seems to have once been used for the SAL Experimentations. Though, the fact that this station is still operational suggests the lab too is hardly defunct.**_

_**All this being said, Duel Academy is far more than meets the eye. It may take months, or even years to fully understand everything about the island and everything within it. But that won't stop me from my investigations; No one can even blink without my knowing, no secret can be kept without me finding out, and anything I don't know I always find out soon enough. **_

_**This Academy is full of great duelists, and secrets surrounding them. I am counting on discovering each and everyone by the end of my time on the island. **_

_**This is only the first of many entries I'm looking to share with the dueling community. Until next time...**_

_**-Dex Saburo**_


	2. Level Up! Alice's playful charm

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

The sleepy silence that filled the Slifer Red dorm was broken by the blaring of an alarm clock, which Kazu was the first to wake up to. He sat up in bed and glared at the alarm clock before pressing the snooze button and falling back into his slumber. His emerald green eyes got wide open as he got back up and took another look at the time.

"Shit!" he cursed. Kazu quickly jumped out of his bed and started to get dressed. "Guys, wake up!" he shouted.

"What's going on?" Zack yawned, sitting up in his middle bunk.

"We overslept, and if we don't leave now, we're going to be later for class!" Kazu caught him up as he hastily tied his shoes.

"Oh no, I can't be late on my first day!" Zack flustered, jumping out of bed and getting dressed like Kazu. "Come on guys." he sighed, glancing at his sleeping roommates.

"Hang on, I've got this." said Kazu as he rummaged through his suitcase, pulling out an air horn.

"Why do you have that?" Zack asked.

"Kenta's kind of a heavy sleeper." Kazu replied. "You might want to cover your ears." he suggested, Zack promptly putting his hands over his ears as Kazu blew the horn in Kenta's ear, followed by Rakaia.

"Ow!" Kenta cried after hitting his head on the ceiling.

"Get up, we're going to be late for class!" Kazu stated, tossing his cousin's red jacket up to him.

"Five more minutes..." Kenta groaned lazily. Kazu rolled his eyes, and Zack and Rakaia catching his tell, covered their ears as he gave his cousin another powerful air horn blast.

"Alright, fine!" Kenta conceded irritably. "Sooner or later, I'm gonna break that stupid thing." He grunted as he got dressed.

* * *

Duel Academy's layout was anything but straight forward, and the Slifer boys learned that first hand today as they navigated the halls, trying desperately to locate their classroom.

"Which way?" Zack panted, he and his friends reaching the end of a hallway, only to be greeted by four more.

"Uh…." Kazu scratched his head, trying to figure out which one. "That one! On the far right!" The four hurried down the hall, opening a door near the end.

"And so, while a Quick-Play Spell to be used to counter, it could only be countered by…" The teacher broke off, turning around to face the door as the Slifer boys came in. While they were laughing off their tardiness, Jerec was quite irritated. After all, these boys did two things he had little tolerance for in his classroom...

"Sorry, sir. Hope we're not too late!" Kenta chuckled pleasantly, though retracted his pleasant demeanor as Jerec glared up at him, his yellow eyes searing his lividness into Kenta's head.

"In my classroom, interruptions will not be tolerated. And nor will tardiness." He stated very sharply, marching firmly up the aisle. "And is there any particular reason that not just one, but four, Slifer Red lay-abouts are late to my class?"

All four boys shared in a moment of fear as Jerec loomed over them. Even though he was three steps down from them, he seemed to grow about five feet, his draconic eyes demanding that they better not do anything to irritate him further.

"We got lost, sir. Sorry…" Zack spoke up. Jerec sighed, turning around, and descending the stairs to return to his desk.

"Strange…" he muttered.

"Sorry, sir, but… what's strange?" Zack asked, choosing each word and how he said it very carefully.

"In my time, I've come to expect for a Sifer to fail…" Jerec answered, stopping and looking over his shoulder with a condescending smirk. "…But this is probably the first time I've seen one fail before he could even find his assigned seat." At this, almost everyone in Obelisk Blue laughed.

"Quite down!" Jerec ordered, returning to his place at the desk. "Get to your seats right now! I'll accept no further interruptions in my classroom!"

_"My first day's barely even started, and I've already been yelled at by a teacher…" _Zack sighed.

"Don't worry too much about it." Kenta whispered, grinning encouragingly. "Yesterday, I ended up on the bad side of every girl in the school before the orientation dinner."

"Huh? How'd you do that?" Zack blinked. Kenta was about to tell the story, but a quick glimpse at Jerec as he scanned the back rows told him that would be a fatal mistake.

"I'll tell you some other time…" he muttered. "Kind of embarrassing anyways, especially considering…" He trailed off, noticing several girls sitting right behind him, obviously some of the first years he walked in on, judging by the scowls they shot him.

Jerec's class was, quite likely, the most unforgiving in the Academy. Though one wouldn't expect much lasting substance to come from a class called 'Duel Strategy,' Jerec found a way to get more than enough out of it to teach more lessons than most other coursework other teachers had to offer.

Though, to some dismay, Jerec's coursework was more tedious and difficult than it was fun or hands-on. Never had Kenta thought he would have to do advanced scientific thinking in a class related to Duel Monsters. Such examples included;

_"Duelist A has played a Cyber Dragon, amplified with Spell Cards Limiter Removal and Metalmorph, as well as two other face-down cards, and has attacked Duelist B, with only Vorse Raider, and one face-down card on his field. If Duelist B has the following cards in his hand, and/or on his field, what would be the best course of action to take on his/her turn, and explain your thesis._

Class with Jerec had slowly come and gone, students gathering their things as the bell rang. Zack stepped down to the front of the room as his friends waited outside for him, approaching Jerec nervously.

"Hm? Yes?" The teacher grunted. "What do you want, Rhodes?"

"Sir, I just want to let you know, I'm really sorry about being late to your class." Zack informed his teacher awkwardly. Somehow, he found it difficult to look Jerec directly in the eyes. "I promise, I won't let it happen again…"

"Rhodes?" Jerec spoke over Zack, glaring irritably at him. "Get out of my classroom!"

"Yessir!" Zack squealed, hurrying out from the room.

"How'd it go?" Rakaia asked, though he felt he didn't need to ask.

"I think maybe we shouldn't have been late to his class…." Zack sighed. "I'm pretty sure he hates us now."

"Eh, from what I've heard, he's pretty much just a bull." Kazu sighed.

"Huh? A bowl?" Kenta blinked.

"Yeah, a bull. You know, he hates red?"

The boys shared in a laugh as they continued to their next class; gym with Sergeant Hassleberry.

* * *

"I don't know but I've been told!" Hassleberry chanted as he jogged across campus, several Duel Academy students behind him in formation.

"I don't know but I've been told!" The students repeated.

"Snow Dragon's breath is mighty cold!"

"Snow Dragon's breath is mighty cold!"

"Sound off!"

"One, two!"

"Sound off!"

"Three, four!"

PE, which was the class that really kicked off the Slifers' day, was run in shifts by Clair, the beautiful yet uncannily spry head of the Obelisk Blue Girl's dorm, and, in today's case, Gunnery Sergeant Tyranno Hassleberry, who headed the Ra Yellow dorm.

No matter who ran the class, both teachers' regiments were quite exhausting; Hassleberry ran his class in much the same manner that he claimed to have been trained in boot camp, though 'toned down a notch, so that ya'll pansies can stay standin' the rest o' the day!'.

Though Clair was a very nice teacher, she seemed to be a totally different person from the calm, tame woman she was while teaching a class; indeed, when she asked her students to run laps, she would run far ahead of her class at seemingly inhuman speeds, prompting them to pick up the pace.

Beyond that, despite her occasional clumsiness in the halls, she had been shown to have straight up acrobatic skills, such as the time she did a ninja flip over one of the stone tablets outside of the Academy main building, and lightning-fast reflexes, which she demonstrated catching three fly balls in baseball in varying impressive manners. These obscure skills have resulted in much speculation from students as to the reason behind these abilities.

"It's like she was trained by ninjas or something." Kenta was saying.

"I think it's just one of those things you learn when you become a gym teacher." Rakaia theorized.

"Sorry, but I haven't known many gym teachers at my old schools who can wall jump halfway up the Academy." said Kazu. "And I think she was just holding back the one time…"

"Can the chatter, privates!" Hassleberry hollered. "Don't make me give you another lap around the Academy!"

Zack sighed at Hassleberry's reprimand. Clearly, he had his own thoughts on Clair's unreal athleticism that he wanted to share.

* * *

After gym came history, with Professor Alexis Rhodes.

Though a somewhat strict teacher, Prof. Rhodes was also quite a helpful and pleasant one to her students, and though her coursework had somewhat little impact on dueling, she always had some interesting insight into how important her classes really were to an aspiring duelist.

Today, for instance, she looked into the history of Ancient Egypt, to the roots of Duel Monsters, and how much could be learned from the mistakes of the Priest turned Pharaoh Seto, crafting depictions of himself and his predecessor, Atem in honor of their alliance, only to lead history to believe that their implied purpose was to tell the story of how he 'stole' the crown.

Though, of course, there was always a snoozer in her class. Today, (and most typically) it was Kenta. Noticing him fast asleep at his desk, Prof. Rhodes picked up a piece of chalk and, not once pausing in her lecture, flung it at Kenta's head, waking him with a start as she pressed on.

"She's good." Kazu muttered, now incentivized to keep taking notes.

"Well, that's all for today." Prof. Rhodes concluded, just before the bell rang to mark the end of the class. "No homework this time, but please remember to study for next class."

* * *

Next on their agenda was the practical duel session. Here, all students of the same year, regardless of rank, are pitted against each other in straightforward duels in the gym, which was lined with six dueling fields. As Kazu noted, this time served as something of an 'applied study hall' session.

"The next duel on field 5 will be Zack Rhodes vs Alice Heart." The teacher announced.

"W-wha...?!" Zack blurted, turning a bit red in the face as sure enough, his childhood friend Alice replaced one of the previous duelists at field 5.

"C'mon, Zack!" Alice called cheerily, deck and Duel Disk already set to go.

"Don't wanna keep your girlfriend waiting, do ya?" Kazu teased, giving Zack a little push.

"Girlfrie...?!" Zack gasped, staggering forward as Kenta pitched in to shove him over to the dueling field. "Guys! She's not...!"

"You'll have to introduce us to her when we're done for the day!" Rakaia teased, moving back with the others to give the duelists some room.

"Zack, what'd I tell you about loosening up?" Alice sighed. "C'mon, let's just have fun, like we used to when we were kids."

"Ah, o-okay." Zack agreed, though his deck fell strewn all over the floor as his hand shook nervously. He hunched down, hectically snatching up the scattered cards, much to everyone else's amusement.

_"That boy has SUCH a long way to go." _Alice sighed with amusement.

"Sorry 'bout that!" Zack called, inserting his deck and activating his duel disk.

"DUEL!"

**Alice: 4000**

Zack: 4000

"Ladies first." Alice grinned, making her first draw. "Okay, I'll start by summoning..." She paused to take a look at her hand. "Ah. I summon Cyber Telepath LV2 in Attack mode." At these words, a cute little humanoid girl with white hair came to life on the field. She had several levitating metallic shards drifting serenely in revolution around her.

Cyber Telepath LV2  
Level 2 Earth  
Psychic  
ATK: 500

"I'll also set two cards face down, and end my turn."

Alice: 4000

**Zack: 4000**

"I draw," Zack said as he drew his first card. "I'll summon Elemental Hero Stratos in Attack mode!" He declared, a flurry of wind blowing around the arena as a blue hero with a fan-powered flight pack soared to life before him, crossing his arms in a heroic pose as he hovered in front of his summoner.

Elemental Hero Stratos  
Level 4 Wind  
Warrior/Effect  
ATK: 1800

"Now, Stratos attack her Cyber Telepath!" The blue hero's soared high into the air before diving at Alice's Cyber Telepath, his fist extended.

"I activate my Trap, Cyberkinesis!" Alice intercepted, as one of face-down cards revealed itself. "When my Cyber Telepath LV2 is attacked, I can activate this special Trap card here. First off, your attack is negated." She declared as Stratos was temporarily immobilized, before returning to his spot in front of his owner. "And then, my Cyber Telepath levels up into Cyber Telepath LV4!" Several of the metallic pieces surrounding the small humanoid girl started to glow, some of them fitting onto the small girl like armor as she 'aged' by a couple of years.

Cyber Telepath LV4  
Level 4 Earth  
Psychic/Effect  
ATK: 1000

"I guess I'll just set a face-down and end my turn." Zack sighed as he placed a card down on the field.

**Alice: 4000**

Zack: 4000

"My turn," Alice said as she drew a card from her deck. "I activate Cyber Telepath's effect!" She declared, discarding one card to the graveyard. "By discarding one card in my hand to the graveyard, I can switch Stratos's attack and defense points." Half of the metal shards surrounding Cyber Telepath flew at Stratos and submerged into his body.

Elemental Hero Stratos ATK: 1800-300

"Now my Cyber Telepath, attack his Stratos!" The white-haired, humanoid lifted its arm, the now larger metallic objects rising into the air. With a flick of her wrist, the objects formed into a blade, and were sent flying into Stratos, destroying the blue hero. Zack shielded himself from the debris of his fallen hero.

Zack: 4000-3300

"Your move." Alice winked at the blond haired boy, causing him to blush slightly.

Alice: 4000

**Zack: 3300**

"I-uh, draw." Zack took a second to observe his hand. " First, I'll play Monster Reborn to bring back my Elemental Hero Stratos!" The blond-haired boy smirked as his blue hero reappeared on the field. "Now I'll use his effect, I can take one 'Hero' monster from my deck and add it to my hand. So I choose, Elemental Hero Lady Heat!" Zack said as he added the new hero to his hand.

"Now I'll summon her in attack mode!" A flaming portal opened in the ground, and a feminine figure in white and red tights sprung out from within, landing before Zack. "I then play Polymerization to fuse the Elemental Hero Heat in my hand and Elemental Hero Lady Heat on my field to create Elemental Hero Inferno!" A massive flaming vortex appeared on the field and the Lady Heat and Heat were sucked in. In a massive blaze, a towering figure appeared on the field, resembling a perfect mixture of Heat and Lady Heat's features."

Elemental Hero Inferno  
Level 8 Fire  
Warrior/Effect  
ATK: 2300

"Now Inferno, attack her Cyber Telepath!" The towering Hero threw a massive ball of fire at Alice's monster, destroying it in an extravagant blaze.

Alice: 4000-2700

"Looks like you got me, good move Zackie." Alice smiled.

"I end my turn." Zack said confidently.

"Alright Zack! You've got this, buddy!" Rakaia cheered.

"Something's not right." Kazu mused with a serious expression.

"What's wrong Kazu?" Kenta asked, taking notice of Kazu's worrisome tone.

"I can't help but notice that Zack's off his game." Kazu answered.

"What do you mean?" Rakaia asked.

"Throughout this whole duel, he's been making dumb mistakes; first, he attacked Alice's monster recklessly when it was obviously a trap. Secondly, he summoned Lady Heat onto the field before fusing her and Heat in his hand; he could've just fused both of them from his hand, leaving him room for a normal summon. And last but not least, he forgot to attack with Stratos."

"You're right," Rakaia's eyes widened, almost forgetting the Wind hero next to Inferno. "Something's definitely wrong with Zack."

"Do you think he's still tired from gym class?" Kenta suggested, Kazu giving no response. "Kazu!" Kenta yelled, snapping his cousin out of whatever trance he was in.

"I'm sorry, what?" Kazu asked hurriedly.

"I was asking if you thought Zack is still tired from gym." Kenta repeated.

"Oh um, definitely." Kazu muttered awkwardly as his attention went to Alice. "I-uh... I think I might be a little tired too."

Alice: 2700

Zack: 3300

_"He forgot to attack? What's wrong with him today?" _Alice blinked at Zack curiously, wondering what was wrong with her childhood friend. "I draw," she drew her card and smiled once realizing what that card was. "And now, I summon Silent Magican LV4 in attack mode!" Alice summoned a female magician with silver hair that covered the right half of her face and blue eyes. The magician wore a blue skintight suit under, white gloves, a white robe with blue design, and a white hat and staff, both of which had a blue gem on them.

Silent Magician LV4  
Level 4 Light  
Spellcaster/Effect  
ATK: 1000

"Now I play One Day of Peace! With this card, we both have to draw one card and neither of us can attack until the end of your next turn. But that's not the best part Zackie." the blond-haired girl continued in a teasing voice. "Since you drew a card, I can add one Spell Counter on Silent Magician, raising her attack points by 500." The gem on the white-haired magician's staff glowed as the magician grew at least a year older.

Silent Magician LV4 ATK: 1000-1500

"I end my turn." Alice said confidently.

Alice: 2700

Zack: 3300

_"Come on Zack, pull it together. If you have any hopes of being with her, don't lose."_ Zack took a deep breath before drawing his next card.

"Thanks to your draw, Silent Magician LV4 gets another counter which means 500 more attacks points." Alice smirked as the gem on the bottom of the Magician's staff glowed and the magician aged a few more years.

Silent Magician LV4 ATK: 1500-2000

"Great, just what I needed." Zack sighed. As he viewed his hand, the blond-haired boy could hear a familiar purring sound. Zack smiled as a brown fur-ball with bat wings and massive eyes appeared next to him.

"Oh hey buddy," Zack said to flying fur ball. "You want in this duel don't ya?" The small fur ball nodded. "Well don't worry, you'll get your turn soon enough."

"Hey Kazu, you see what I see?" Kenta asked.

"You mean the bat-winged fur ball floating next to Zack? Yeah, I can see it perfectly." Kazu nodded.

"Looks like Zack has more in common with us than we thought." Kenta grinned, a small white dragon with a yellow '0' on its chest appearing next to him.

"Looks like it." Kazu smiled, turning to the monster made of yellow spheres with flat feet, coils, and a U shaped magnets as part of his hands and his head floating next to him. "Let's just hope this fur ball can help Zack win."

"I summon Dark Winged Kuriboh in Defense mode!" Zack stated, the bat-winged sprite coming to life on his field.

Dark Winged Kuriboh  
Level 1 Dark  
Fairy/Effect  
DEF: 200

"And I can't do much than that, so I end my turn." He concluded his turn with a new found confidence.

Alice: 2700

Zack: 3300

"Let's see..." Alice pondered, glancing down at the card she drew. "I'll play Different Dimension Capsule. I banish one of my cards, and in two turns, I can add that card to my hand."

"_That old trick, Alice?" _Zack chuckled, remembering that her childhood friend used this tactic on many occasions.

"I also activate Monster Reborn, to call Cyber Telepath LV4 back to my field, and discard one card to knock Stratos' ATK down to 300 again. And now attack! Psychic Splitter!" Once more, Alice's monster tore through Stratos, damaging Zack's life points.

Zack: 3300–2600

"Your turn." She finished.

Alice: 2700

**Zack: 2600**

He knew now his priority was to do something about Alice's Silent Magician, who just gained its third to last counter with his current draw.

"I activate H – Heated Heart! This gives one E-Hero Monster I control 500 ATK."

**Elemental Hero Inferno ATK: 2300–2800 **

Inferno, attack Silent Magician!" He commanded.

"Really? Again!?" Kazu sighed.

"Trap activate! Pitch Black Power Stone!" Alice stated. "Because of this card's effect, 3 spell counters are placed on it, and once per turn, I can shift one of those Counters to another monster who can use them; like Silent Magician." Once more, her white-haired mage grew as her staff gained another counter.

**Silent Magician LV4 ATK: 2500-3000**

"Which means your Inferno's just been snuffed out." True to her word, Silent Magician simply stood still with her arms crossed as Inferno threw a towering fiery punch at her, only for its flames to be extinguished as it draw close to her. With a lazy lift of her staff, a bright light blew a hole in the fiery hero, taking a piece of Zack's life points with it.

Zack: 2600–2400

"Then I summon E-Hero Clayman in Attack mode." Zack said, his defensive monster taking an offensive posture.

Elemental Hero Clayman  
Level 4 Earth  
Warrior  
ATK: 800

"That idiot!" Rakaia groaned. "Doesn't he know that Clayman's defense points are 2000?"

"I set one card face-down, and end my turn." Zack concluded, his confidence remaining, regardless of his failed attempt.

**Alice: 2700**

Zack: 2400

"My turn then. Draw. I activate Pot of Greed, letting me draw two more cards." Alice started off her turn. "I activate the Continuous Spell Counter Economics. Now, when I activate an effect requiring me to discard a card, I can pay 2 counters of any type instead. So now I use Cyber Telepath LV4's effect, and pay the two remaining Spell Counters on Pitch Black Power Stone to switch Inferno's ATK points with its defense points!" The black stone hovering on her field shattered to pieces, its powers used up, and its shards sinking into Clayman, in place of Cyber Telepath's armor pieces.

**Elemental Hero Clayman: 800–2000**

"Why would she use that effect now? That'll only make Clayman stronger!" Kenta blinked. "I just can't believe what I'm seeing today." He sighed.

"And now, since I've used its effect successfully twice, I can level it up to Cyber Telepath LV6!" All of the remaining armor pieces levitating around Alice's monster fitted themselves onto Cyber Telepath, six silvery green gems adorned her armor in a hexagon shape, her white hair now down to her waist, her appearance now much more matured.

Cyber Telepath LV6  
Level 6 Earth  
Psychic/Effect  
ATK: 2000

"And now I activate her effect; by discarding one card, all monsters you control have their attack and defense points switched." The psychic monster flicked a finger, and several new armor pieces materialized on Zack's monsters, altering their stats.

Elemental Hero Clayman ATK: 2000 – 800

Dark Winged Kuriboh DEF: 300

"I get it!" Rakaia exclaimed, understanding Alice's strategy. "Before, she was only modifying Clayman's points to power up her monster! So now, her powered-up monster can switch them back, and deal some damage!"

"Silent Magician, take out Clayman! _Silent Sword!_"

"Reverse card open!" Zack intercepted. "Shift! Now, I can choose a new attack target for your Magician's attack, and I choose Dark-Winged Kuriboh." Zack's fluffy little monster glared at the white mage, jumping in front of Clayman, sacrificing itself for its fellow deck mate.

"Now, Cyber Telepath! Attack Clayman! _Cyber Slash!_" The psychic monster conjured several razor sharp metal blades, which, with a jerk of her hand, sliced into Clayman, destroying the stony hero.

"Because of Dark-Winged Kuriboh's effect though, for this turn you take the battle damage I would receive instead." Zack corrected Alice, though she didn't seem at all disappointed by the loss of life points.

Alice: 2700–1500

"In that case, one face-down, and now you take it from her." She grinned.

Alice: 1500

**Zack: 2400**

"_Last chance." _Zack sighed, taking his draw as Silent Magician gained its final counter. Next turn, not only could she level up her monster, but the Different Dimension Capsule would also give her the card necessary to win. "Ah!" He gasped, just now looking at the card he pulled; _"Miracle Fusion!" _He grinned, knowing he had just what he needed to win.

"I activate Miracle Fusion! So by removing monsters in my hand, field, and grave from the game, I can fusion summon a monster. So, I merge E-Heroes Stratos with the Sparkman in my hand to form..." The field darkened, thick black clouds casting a shadow over the duelists, as a bolt of lightning struck the field, revealing Zack's new monster;

"Elemental Hero Stratostorm!" A hero donned in all black with a bright gold lightning bolt crest stood before Zack, electrical sparks coursing across its body.

Elemental Hero Stratostorm  
Level 6 Wind  
Thunder/Fusion/Effect  
ATK: 2000

"Stratostorm! Attack Silent Magician LV4! _Crashing storm!_"

"That's insane!" Kazu shouted. "He's been doing stupid crap this whole game, but even he has to see that?"

"Stratostorm's effect now activates; when he attacks, the targeted monster is destroyed, regardless of effect, attack, or defense points, and both monsters are banished, all damage calculation negated!"

"_Not bad Zack, not bad at all!" _Alice grinned, turning her eyes down to the face-down on her field. _"I wonder if I should...?" _She sighed, reluctant to activate her set card. _"Sorry Zackie..."_

"I activate my trap! Switch!" She declared, almost feeling kind of guilty for using the exact same card Zack used a moment ago. "So now I switch your attack target to Cyber Telepath." Stratostorm transformed into a bolt of lightning, which struck Cyber Telepath, both of them destroyed, and permanently removed from the game.

**Alice: 1500**

Zack: 2400

"And now, since it's been two turns since I've activated Different Dimension Capsule, I now gain the card I placed inside; Ultimate Ascension! Now, I can sacrifice a level monsteron my field, for the next stage. I banish Silent Magician Level 4 to summon Silent Magician Level 8!"

Her ace monster thrust her staff into the air as she was transformed into a grown woman with long silver hair standing on end and extravagant long white robes.

Silent Magician Lv8  
Level 8 Light  
Spellcaster/Effect  
ATK: 3500-7000

"Whoa! Seven thousand?!" Rakaia gasped.

"Because of Ultimate Ascension's effect, the original attack and defense points of the monster it levels up are doubled." said Alice. "Now go! Silent Magician Lv8! Direct attack! _Ultimate Silent Slash!_" Silent Magician's staff transformed into a mighty execution sword, and vanishing in a flash, appeared directly before Zack, showing no mercy as she landed a swift, decisive strike bringing their duel to an end.

Zack: 2400–0

**Winner: Alice**

"_Sorry, Zack. But you won't be able to get any stronger if I just let you win."_

"For those of you who've already dueled, you're all dismissed." The teacher concluded, only two duels remaining, each one close to wrapping up.

* * *

"So what was up today?" Kenta asked Zack as he and his friends made their way back to the Red dorm.

"What do you mean?" Zack asked.

"C'mon, don't give me that. I saw your duel with Sanousuke, I know you're not dumb enough to make the stupid moves you made against Alice!"

"Oh? Um... I dunno." Zack sighed blankly. "She is really tough, you know. I've never beaten her once before."

"Seriously!? Never!? And you kicked that Obelisk Blue's butt?" Rakaia blurted, Zack sighing again.

* * *

"Yeah, you should have seen him too! He... uh, Alice?" Alice's friends were engaged in quite the energetic conversation, but Alice herself had her eyes fixated on her childhood friend as they walked past.

"Oh, ew! It's that pervy boy!" One of the girls grunted with disgust, glaring at Kenta.

"Hey! Alice?"

"Huh?" Alice snapped out of her stupor.

"You've been staring off into space, Alice. You feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, seriously." Alice assured her friends, eyes still focused on Zack's companions.

"C'mon, Zack! Grit your teeth a little more! Show some back bone!" Kenta groaned. "We'll have to do something about that when we get back to the dorm, won't we, Kazu?" He winked to his cousin, Alice gasping as Kazu smirked, replying,

"Yeah, I gotcha."

"What d'you guys have in mind?" Rakaia asked, also grinning.

"You'll see." Kenta answered deviously.

"What's wrong?" one of Alice's friends asked, but Alice wasn't listening to her; her mind was filled with images of these boys doing horrible things to her friend,

* * *

"_Man up, Yuki!" Kenta demanded, shoving Zack into Kazu and Rakaia, who each gripped one of his arms, Kenta smirking as he cracked his knuckles, before throwing a punch right into Zack's gut. Despite the blonde boy's teary objections, Kenta continued to beat him, this time punching him repeatedly in the face, Zack losing a tooth, blood spurting from his mouth._

"_Mind if I have some fun too, cuz?" Kazu asked._

"_Why not? The more the merrier." Kenta laughed. With that, the two Slifers holding the now battered Zack tossed him down to the ground, all of them beating him senseless._

* * *

"I gotta go help him!" She yelled, hurrying after the four Slifer boys and leaving her friends completely confused.

"Poor Zack! No wonder he was so anxious today." Alice panted, running in the direction of the Slifer Red dorm, coming up on the 'outhouse with a deck' just in time to see Enbu Mombasa, the massive dorm head conversing with the boys.

"You're okay by it, right sir?" Kazu asked.

"Absolutely." Mombasa nodded. "Do as you please."

"_So it's not enough that those boys are bullying my Zackie, but their head of dorm APPROVES of it!?" _Alice scowled, disgusted by what she thought she was seeing. She dashed to the door the Slifers just entered, but froze at the doorknob, listening inside.

"Okay, everyone! Who wants in on this!?" She heard Kenta shout boisterously, to a mass of cheers. "Okay, have at it!"

"_They're barbarians! Animals!" _ Alice growled furiously. _"How could an entire dorm be allowed to do this to him!? No more! I'm putting a stop to it...!" _But just as Alice put her hand on the doorknob again, she retracted it again, another dark thought crossing her mind.

"_But wait! If the entire dorm is..."_ She suddenly envisioned Zack on his knees, bruised, bleeding, and beaten down, Kenta smirking evilly with a wooden sword over his shoulder and a modified long red coat stereotypical of Banchou, hundreds of other Slifers circled around them, cheering thuggishly as Kazu asked if they wanted to kick Zack around some more. _"Then if I go in there..."_

* * *

"_Check it out! Looks like we got us a new toy!" Kazu cackled, yanking Alice into the circle by her long blonde hair._

"_Gotta love those Obelisk girls." Rakaia sneered, ripping her uniform open. "Whoever gets Yuki to bleed first gets first dibs on this lovely thing!" He proclaimed._

* * *

"No, no! That's horrible!" Alice cringed, terrified. _"But still..."_ She turned back to the door, knowing she didn't have much choice. _"It's either that, or leave Zack to suffer alone. Alright! Here I come, Zackie!" _

She burst through the door, shocking every red student gathered in the cafeteria and hurried to the table where Zack sat, punching Kenta right in the face.

"Leave Zackie alone, you son of a bitch!" She screamed angrily.

"What?!" Kenta blinked at her, beguiled, rubbing the cheek that Alice punched. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play innocent, you... you gang leader! I know what you've been planning to do with Zack! And I won't have it!"

"Gang leader?" Rakaia muttered, half tempted to laugh.

"Alice! What are you talking about? These guys have been good to me." Zack spoke up.

"Don't try to defend them, Zack. You know that's foolish." Alice sighed. "Anyway, what were you talking about before? 'Making him 'show some backbone?' I bet you were planning on beating him within an inch of his life before..."

"Food's ready!" Kazu chimed, exiting the kitchens, a cheer sounding around the red dorm's lunch room. "Here you go, Zack! Enjoy!" He sat a big bowl of soup in front of Zack before dishing some more out to the rest of the red dorm.

"Dig in, pal." Kenta smiled. "You'll feel better in no time."

"Thanks, guys!" said Zack happily after tasting a good helping of soup, Alice frozen stiff. It was just then that, even after being served a good helping of dinner, the entire Slifer Red dorm was staring very questioningly at her.

"Hi! You're Zack's girlfriend, aren't you?" Kazu greeted Alice pleasantly. "I have more than enough food left over if you'd like to stay a while." Alice felt like dying right where she stood, completely humiliated for her seemingly random act of insanity.

"Dinner would be great..." She sighed, sitting down at the same table as Zack and his friends.

"So... would you mind explaining to me why you punched my cousin in the face and called him a gang leader?" Kazu asked as he sat down, Alice's head slumped down over her meal, preferring not to look anyone in the eye right now.

"I thought you guys were bullying Zack and were planning to beat him senseless tonight." She admitted, laughter sounding all around her, making her wish even more that she could just drown herself in the soup she was served.

"No way! Zack's our bud!" Rakaia laughed.

"Why would you think that?" Kenta asked. Now that she got a good look at him, Alice understood why it was laughable to think that this guy, of all people, was some kind of gang leader.

"I don't know, I just thought you looked like bullies." She shrugged, sighing. "Zack's always kinda had that problem."

"The ability to magnetize bullies?" Kazu supplied. "Yeah... we're familiar."

"So he really has gotten himself in trouble already?" Alice groaned.

"It's nothing like that, Al." Zack jumped in.

"Al?" Kenta repeated.

"We, er... I guess I was approached by this Obelisk Blue who kept insisting that I was a 'real duelist' because of... well, dad." Zack recounted.

"Sanousuke." Alice stated, knowing exactly who he was talking about. "I should have known he would do something like that right from the first day."

"You know him?" Rakaia blinked.

"I'd venture to say that everyone in Obelisk Blue knows him about now." Alice grunted. "After all, he does take a bit of pride on being the second highest-ranking first year in the Academy."

"He did mention something like that." Kenta nodded. "Any idea who #1 is?"

"Actually, you probably know her, Mr. Gang leader." Alice teased.

"It's Kenta...! Wait, what do you mean?"

"Remember seeing a certain blue-haired girl yesterday?" Alice reminded him, Kenta groaning. How could he NOT remember?

Before he even got his red jacket, he landed himself near the top of every girls' enemies list after accidently catching a peek at every one of them while they were changing into their uniforms. Though, the one girl that stood out to him was the one closest to the door that he opened, a girl with short blue hair and brilliant green eyes, which were ablaze with fury as she flung a shoe right in his face.

"Great..." Kenta groaned, somehow knowing he hadn't seen the last of her.

"So... A peeper then, are you?" Alice smirked, teasingly.

"Shut up! It was an accident!" Kenta barked. "How many times do I have to say that!?"

"What's all this peeping stuff about?" One boy with dark blue hair sitting at the table opposite the group asked. "Alex Kincaid." He gave a small wave, introducing himself to the group

"I got lost yesterday, opened a random door, thinking it might have been where my group was, turned out to be a bunch of girls in their underwear." Kenta summarized dully, starting to get a bit tired of the whole ordeal.

"Sorry I asked." Alex shrugged, turning his back to their table to return to his soup.

"And you're just completely okay with him seeing you naked?" Rakaia asked.

"IF he saw me naked, I probably wouldn't be." Alice corrected. "If it was Zackie, though..." She grinned at her childhood friend, who ducked under the table in embarrassment.

"_Geez! No wonder Zack couldn't concentrate when he dueled this chick!" _Kenta thought. He cleared his through loudly, speaking over Alice. "Moving on, how do you and Zack know each other?"

"We've been good friends since we were young." Zack answered. "Up until 6th grade, we even when to the same school together."

"I ended up going to Duel Queen's Prep for three years." Alice picked up where her friend left off, sighing with reminiscence and mild sadness. "Three years where I barely got to see my Zackie at all."

"_Can this girl make it any more obvious that she's head-over-heels for Zack?!" _Kazu raised an eyebrow. _"Seriously, Zack! How can you not see it?!"_

"Well... it wasn't SO bad, Al." Zack assured. "I mean, at least we still got to see each other..."

"Zackie! Are you trying to say that you DIDN'T miss me when we were apart for so long?!" Alice toyed with him.

"Eh? N-no, that's not what I-!" Zack stammered, Alice playfully wrestling with him.

"_Wait a minute! He DOES see it! Not only that... 'Zackie'? 'Al'? Thos two are an item!" _ Kazu put together the pieces in his head.

"Sorry, boys. But I should get back to my own dorm before Ms. Clair notices that I'm missing. See ya." Alice bid her new friends farewell an hour later.

"So... 'Al', huh?" Kazu smirked as the Slifer boys settled in for the night.

"What?" Zack shrugged.

"You know what." Kazu teased. "You deny it all the time, but you can't deny that 'Al's' your girlfriend!"

"No she isn't!" Zack blushed. "We've just been friends a really long time!"

"Seems like a classic sign of a good couple to me." Rakaia chipped in.

"You too, Rakaia?!" Zack said with exasperation.

"You've kept one thing hidden from us, 'Rhodes,' how are we supposed to believe you when you say that a girl so obviously into you ISN'T your girlfriend?" Kenta prodded.

"You guys!" Zack groaned, embarrassed, his friends laughing wildly.

* * *

"Zackie's girlfriend, huh?" Alice giggled, listening just outside. "I'm all for it."

**To Be Continued...**

_**Hey, everyone. Dex Saburo here. With my basic overview of Duel Academy complete, I've started to compile observations on the duelists who both teach at attend this school. One of the biggest names that stands out to me; Zack 'Rhodes' Yuki. This is just a little bit of the data that I've gathered on him...**_

**Duel Academy Undercover Archives  
**

**Entry #2: Zack 'Rhodes' Yuki**

**_By: Dex Saburo  
_**

**_Although Zack seems to be nothing more than another uninteresting Slifer Red on the surface, you really can't judge him simply by his uniform color. Despite his less than average skills shown thus far, he is no novice with deck construction, and always knows how to stack his cards so that he's never left with a useless card in his hand. Beyond that, while his deck might not stand out too much (Elemental Heroes aren't exactly uncommon to be used in decks these days), it does contain some pretty rare fusion monsters, such as Burning Earth, Stratostorm, and several more that I've yet to see._**

**_However, Zack does have many problems with confidence, which largely hold him back from being a much more powerful duelist, as well as a passive mentality that doesn't enjoy competition very passionately. Despite this, he is still a quite enthusiastic duelist, and show much more potential than most others in the Red dorm._**

**_It turns out, though, that there's far more to Zack than most people know; despite going by the surname of Rhodes, which may possibly connect him to Prof. Alexis Rhodes, his true last name is actually Yuki. Yes, that's right! This boy is the son of the current King of Games, Jaden Yuki. Despite this, Zack seeks to prove that he's NOT his father, and establish his own path, rather than following the one his father paved 20 years ago.  
_**

**_Additionally, Zack is able to see beings known as 'duel spirits', and even carries one such spirit, the Dark-Winged Kuriboh, in his deck.  
_**

**_That's all for today, but I'll be back next time, with a look at other duelists of the Academy. _**

**_-Dex Saburo_**


End file.
